In A League Of Their Own

2 DEMATHA ( Hyattsville, Md.)

Enrollment: 1,016

Best known for its nationally ranked basketball teams and former hoops coach Morgan Wootten, this all-boys Catholic school just outside Washington, D.C., has been nearly as successful in football. The Stags have won 16 league titles, and this year 17 players received Division I scholarships. Though Wootten retired in 2002, DeMatha has remained a basketball power. It finished this past season 29--2 and was ranked No. 9 by USA Today. Despite lackluster facilities--the wrestling team practices in an old auto warehouse, and the football team is forced to play games at a nearby school--DeMatha has been strong in most sports, and last year 39 of the school's 180 graduating seniors received athletic scholarships.

3 SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS ( Fort Lauderdale)

Enrollment: 2,138

With alums such as tennis great Chris Evert, former Dallas Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin and Olympic 400-meter runner Sanya Richards, Saint Thomas Aquinas has long been the preeminent program in Florida. In fact, the Raiders were named the state's best sports program for 19 of the past 20 years by the Florida Athletic Coaches Association. The school also has hard-core fans: Last year they filled 23 buses for the nearly six-hour trip to Gainesville for the Class 5A state championship football game. The school's best sport, however, is soccer. The girls' team was 29--3 this season and won the state title, and the boys' and the girls' teams were ranked No. 1 in the nation in '97 and '98.

4 PUNAHOU ( Honolulu)

Enrollment: 1,730

Never mind that the school's most accomplished student-athlete, rising star golfer Michelle Wie, doesn't play on any of its teams. Punahou is the power of the Pacific. The Buff 'n' Blue has won 318 state titles in 20 sports. Its strength is in boys' and girls' swimming and diving (with a combined 80 state titles), and boys' volleyball (at least 25 alums have won NCAA championships, and eight are current AVP tour pros). Punahou also has a strong football tradition: Its alums include Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Norm Chow, former New England Patriots running back Mosi Tatupu and former Dallas Cowboys lineman Mark Tuinei.

5 CHERRY CREEK (Greenwood Village, Colo.)